PSNI and judiciary need to get act together so justice is done in Donaldsons’ case

The scene as Jeffrey Donaldson left court in Newry where he faced a number of historical sex charges

Gail Walker

Farmyard noises playing in the courtroom and the roars of a chaotic zoo-like atmosphere outside the precincts are not the sound effects one expects to accompany one of the most serious court appearances in Northern Ireland this century.

But they may well be the most abiding memory of the first appearance of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife, Lady Eleanor, at Newry Magistrates Court on Wednesday.